BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces have killed a senior commander of the Islamic State group, the prime minister said on Thursday, a week after the rare, twin suicide bombing by IS militants killed dozens in Baghdad.
The Islamic State group had quickly claimed responsibility for the Jan. 21 blasts at a busy open-air market in the Iraqi capital. At least 32 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi tweeted on Thursday that an “intelligence-led” operation in northern Iraq killed 39-year-old Abu Yasar al-Issawi, deputy commander and IS chief in Iraq.
The country’s security forces have faced mounting pressure after the Jan. 21 attack in central Baghdad, with many saying the attack — the first to strike the Iraqi capital by the militant group in three years — was a failure of Iraq’s intelligence.
ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR TWIN SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN BAGHDAD, AT LEAST 32 DEAD
“I gave my word to pursue the Daesh terrorists, we gave them a…